William joseph hqsford



(No Model.) I

W. J. HOSFORD.

BICYCLE SUPPORT.

No. 596,595. Patented Jan. 4,1898.

Wuhan o J HOS ford,

UNITED A STATES PATENT EETEE.

WILLIAM JOSEPH HQSFORD, OF MANTI, UTAH, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO LUTHER TERRY TUTTLE, OF SAME PLACE.

BICYCLE-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 596,595, dated January 4, 1898.

Application filed February 8, 1896. Serial No. 577,880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM JOSEPH Hos- FORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manti, in the county of San Pete and State of Utah, have invented a new and useful Bicycle-Support, of which the following is a tures and details of construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the drawings, and finally embodied in the claim hereto appended.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle with the improved support attached thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail perspective View of the support. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the socket in which the upper end of the supporting-rod is received. Fig. 4is a detail view of the removable section of the socket. Fig. 5 shows the headed supporting-rod. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective View of the spring-clasp for upholding the supporting-rod in its folded position.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a bicycle of the ordinary safety pattern, to the reach-bar of which the improved support is applicable.

The attachment comprises, primarily, a spring-clip 2, made, preferably, ofspringsteel, the same being in the form of a strap of a length adapting the same to pass around the reach-bar, the ends of said strap being deflected and brought into parallel relation and perforated, whereby they are adapted to receive a clamping-bolt, as shown.

3 designates a metal socket, which is secured to the bottom of the clip 2 and extends downwardly below the reach-bar. This socket rate their opposite ends.

is made in two sections, similar in all respects, except that one is provided with a head portion 4, which extends over and covers the top of the other portion. The two sections of the socket (indicated at 5) are each provided upon their inner adjacent surfaces and near their bottom edges with hemispherical recesses 6, which when broughtinto proximity are adapted to receive and embrace the spherical or ball-shaped head 7 of the supporting-rod 8.

The supporting-rod 8 is preferably made of steel, though any other metal may be employed, and is formed at its lower end to engage the ground while disposed at an angle to the machine-frame for the purpose of upholding the machine without auxiliary means. The ball head of the support 8 is slightly larger in diameter than the recess in which the same is fitted, so that by pressing the two sections 5 of the socket toward each other, which may be done with the aid of a setscrew 9, passing through one of the socketsections and into the other above the recesses (3, the said head may be clamped with any desired pressure, so that it may not vibrate too freely. Each of the socket-sections 5 is also provided in its lower portion with a central slot 10, opening out at the lower end thereof, the said slots being arranged sidewise, so that when the rod or support 8 is vibrated to one side for the purpose of supporting the ma chine the upper end of the rod will lie within said slot and thus prevent the rod from canting longitudinallyof the machine, so as to permit the machine to advance or recede, which would result in the same falling to the ground.

As the diameter of the recesses 6 is some what less than that of the head, it is obvious that the opposing faces of the two sections of the socket cannot be brought into contact in parallel relation when the head is seated in the recess, but, on the contrary, the head will serve as a fulcrum on which the sections will rock to bring either of their respective ends into engagement and at the same time sepa- Vhen, therefore, the set-screw 9 is adjusted to get the desired clamping-pressure on the head, the upper ends of the sections of the socket will move toward each other and their lower ends spread apart, thereby forming the tapering recess 10 outer free end of such rod may be swung upward into parallelism with the reach-bar of the machine-frame and held by means of a spring-clasp 1].. This spring-clasp is composed, preferably, of a spring-steel band which extends around the reach-bar and'ha's its terminal portions deflected into parallel relation and secured together by means of any suitable fastening device. The extremities of such terminals are then extended s'ufficiently to receive the swinging end of the supporting-rod between them, and they are also preferably crimped, as indicated at 12, to form half-sockets which will engage and the more securely hold the said rod.

By having the head portion 4 on one of the sections of the socket to overlap the end of the other section the two sections are prevented from having rotary movement relative to each other on the set-screw 9 when the latter is operated.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that an extremely simple, cheap, and reliable support is obtained and thatthe same may be manufactured with sufficient lightness, so that its presence and additional Weight will not be noticeable; also, that the device is applicable to any machine of modern make, that it may be quickly adjusted thereto, and that it may be instantly thrown down into operative position or folded n'pout of the way when no longer required; also, that provision is made whereby any wear between the supporting-rod and the socket in which its head is received may be compensated for. It will be apparent that the position of the support may be reversed, the point 'of attachment being changed to near the crank-axle, where the clasp 11 is now shown; also, that the rod 8 may be made extensible by means of jointed or telescopic sections; also, that other changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

WVhat I claim is-- In a bicycle, the combination of a socket consisting of two sections, each having ahemispheroidal recess and a slot opening downwardly and outwardly from the recess, a head formed with one of the sections and extending over and engaging with the upper end of the other section to properly position and hold the sections in fixed relation, a rod adapted to engage the ground at its lower end and having a ball at its upper end to enter the recesses of the sections, said ball being of greater diameter than the diameter of the recesses, whereby the sections will rock on the said head, a set-screw Working in the said sections above the recesses to secure them together, and adapted, when operated, to clamp the sections to the head, to bring the upper ends of the sections toward each other and spread their lower ends apart and thereby form a tapering recess at a right angle to said slots, and a clip for securing the device to the frame-bar of the machine and having independent connection with the section of the socket having the projecting head portion,all substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myown I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WVILLIAM JOSEPH IIOSFORD.

VVitnesses:

LUTHER T. TUTTLE, J. HATTEN CARPENTER. 

